Milan - Know before you go

☀ WHEN TO GO?

Spring and Autumn are the ideal choices because of the warm temperatures and the fewer crowds. The average temperature is 23–30°C from May to October.

💸 HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Milan is one of the Italian pricier cities due to its reputation, but that doesn’t mean you can’t travel on a budget. We recommend an average budget of 60€ per day, but you can easily spend more or a bit less depending on your travel style.

ACCOMMODATION: 20–28€ per night

*If you want to stay near the Duomo, you’ll pay more.

FOOD: 21€ per day -> breakfast 3€, lunch 6€, dinner 12€

ATTRACTIONS: 10€ per day

TRANSPORT: 2€/ticket If you plan to make some shopping, you should add some extra money.  

🚌 HOW TO GET AROUND?

Even if Milan is considered a walk-by city, it has a very efficient integrated transit network that includes busses, trams, subways, and suburban railways. No area of Milano is impossible to reach with a combination of these means of transportation.

• A single ticket costs 2€ and covers 3 areas. This ticket is available for 90 minutes. You can change the lines, but you can’t use the same ticket once you got out.

• A 24-hour travel card costs 4.5€ and covers 3 areas. This ticket is available for 24 hours after the first validation. You can change the lines and you can also use the same ticket once you got out.

• Don’t forget to take into consideration the luggage ticket. If your luggage is smaller than 50 cm, you don’t need to buy this type of ticket. You need it if your bag has a dimension between 50 and 90 cm. If your luggage is higher than 90 cm, then you can’t use the metro.

For those cases when you need a different type of transportation, you can opt for car rental, car-sharing, scooter-sharing, or bike-sharing. If you want to use a bike, you can do it with the BikeMi app, and if you want to use a scooter, you can use CityScoot. Renting a car is not a budget-friendly option, because renting and parking are expensive.

✈ BERGAMO AIRPORT TRANSFER

Even if the airport is located 50km from Milano, you can make your transfer by train, bus, or taxi.

• Depending on the operator, taxis may cost around 100–150€ and the travel time may be around 40–45 minutes.

• Regarding the train, you need to take a public bus from the airport to the Bergamo Railway station. In this case, the travel time is estimated at around 60 minutes, except for the waiting for the bus. But it is the cheapest option because the ticket is 6€.

• The bus option is the one we recommend because the travel time is around 50 minutes and the price is 8–10€.

💡 Keep in mind that you should book your ticket online because it's cheaper.

💡 More buses come and go to the stations in front of the airport. When you see your bus, you should go and ask the guy that sells tickets about it. We had an issue with one guy that didn’t explain us and we waited an extra hour. 😔  

🍝 RESTAURANTS & COFFEE SHOPS

Depending on the restaurant, a pizza costs around 6€ and 10€, starters may be around 5€ and 10€ and a portion of pasta costs around 8€ and 15€.

Many restaurants in Italy have a per-person fee that means a cover charge, called Coperto. It can vary from 1€ to 5€, depending on whether the restaurant is famous or located in a tourist area. Restaurants that don’t have this service fee usually mention this at the end of the menu.

Piz

@biancatizu

A small place with friendly people and good food. I recommend you try Pizza Bianca and Pizza Margherita.

Add to

Details

Starbucks Reserve Roastery

@biancatizu

This is the place to go if you want a coffee with an experience. ☕ TIP: If you go in the morning, you'll avoid the queues.

Add to

Details

Berberè Navigli

@biancatizu

If you’re looking for a Pizza place in Milano, you should visit them. But be aware that you may need a reservation.

Add to

Details

miscusi Stazione Centrale

@biancatizu

Name a better duo than pasta & tiramisu, I'll wait.

Add to

Details

🗣 ITALIAN PHRASES — GOOD TO KNOW

Italian people are very welcoming and friendly with tourists, but they will be even more if they see you trying to speak their language. So here are some common phrases which should help you.

• Hello — Buon Giorno

• Hi — Ciao

• Yes — Si

• No — No

• Please — Por favor

• Thank you — Grazie

• I want an espresso — Un caffe per favore

• Where is the bathroom? — Dov’e il bagno?

• I want the check, please — Il conto, per favore

📝 TIPS

• The price of food in sit-down restaurants in Milano is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.

• Book your tickets for The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci in advance.

• Keep an eye on scams.

• If you ask for a latte instead of a caffe latte, there are chances to get only a glass of milk.

• Many museums are free on the first Sunday of the month.

• Enjoy an aperitivo (known as a pre-dinner cocktail) in Navigli.

• August is a holiday month even for the locals. So if you choose to go in August, it’s possible to find many restaurants and businesses closed.

• In some places, the drinking prices are not on the menu and you can end up paying for a bottle of beer or a glass of wine at the same price as a dish.

• Take a trip and see Como Lake.

You can see more on our YouTube Channel:  

Milan Travel Guide

Watch on YouTube